One day, there was a student named Khalid who was playing with his friends during the break period in his school’s courtyard. While Khalid and his friends were running, his eyes fell on a significant amount of money present on the ground. He immediately picked it up, then Khalid looked at his friend whose name was Fares, who was standing behind him.
Khalid said to Fares, “I found this money on the ground, oh my friend. I must go immediately to the school office to give this money I found.” Fares answered him, saying, “And why don’t you take this money for yourself, oh my friend? You found the money on the ground. So this money is your right.”
Khalid became angry from his friend Fares’s talk and answered him in a sad voice filled with sorrow, “Isn’t this what we were taught specifically about honesty? Didn’t you listen to what our teacher explained to us about the importance of honesty, and that it’s not related to anything - no place and no time? Honesty is itself honesty, whatever the case.”
Khalid continued, saying, “This money shouldn’t be for me. It’s not my right. I must ask about its owner in the school administration.” Here, Fares felt shame and embarrassment toward his friend. So Fares said to Khalid, “I apologize to you, oh Khalid. I didn’t intend to take others’ money. I only thought that it had no owner.”
Khalid answered, saying, “There’s nothing without an owner. And even if the money’s owner didn’t appear, I would have done what’s required of me. So let the school handle this matter appropriately. He’s the first to be notified, and he’ll do what he sees as correct.” Then he headed to the school principal and told him the matter of the money.
The principal thanked Khalid for his honesty and began announcing the lost money in the school, telling everyone to take care of their belongings, and telling them that whoever lost an amount of money must inform him of its descriptions so he can confirm he’s the owner of the money.
Indeed, they discovered the honest student’s lost books belonging to him. The principal was told what he found. The principal confirmed the owner of the money and asked the school students to present thanks to the honest student Khalid.